Zion Suzuki out of Japan training as injury update drops away from Aston Villa
Aston Villa keeper Zion Suzuki is on a personal training regime with Japan to recover from injury.
The international break is yet to truly get underway and the Villans are already learning of fitness problems.
Arguably the worst person that could happen to is the 24-year-old after his stellar start to life at Villa Park.
The summer signing has made a terrific impact as the days of Emi Martinez are already forgotten in B6.
The new number one has left fans in awe with his shot-stopping and distribution as he becomes one of Villa's most important players.
That is exactly why Villa will be bitterly disappointed as Suzuki has been set his own routine while with Japan.
What injury is Zion Suzuki dealing with?
The Samurai Blue are looking ahead to a friendly meeting with Uruguay on Thursday at Q-Stadium.
Ahead of that, Hajime Moriyasu held training for the second time during this break on Tuesday.
Japanese outlet Hochi have reported that Suzuki didn't feature in the session after suffering a rib injury.
It is unclear where this issue was picked up having played a full 90 minutes against Tottenham at the weekend.
The Villa man has now been handed his own training schedule away from the rest of his teammates.
He has been spotted on an exercise bike in Chiba City as his recovery continues.
There will be hope back in B6 that this is just a precautionary measure as his importance can't be understated.
Why Aston Villa will be keeping a close eye on Suzuki with Japan
It is highly likely that those at Bodymoor Heath will have known about a rib problem for the shot-stopper.
There will be questions asked of why he has been allowed to jet off to his national team with an injury, but the decision has been made.
That feels like a massive risk, especially after his performance away to Tottenham.
He made five saves, saving 71 per cent of the shots he faced, and was able to prevent an excellent 0.32 goals throughout the encounter.
Suzuki followed that up with two punches, four high claims and 12 recoveries in North London.
He also showed his ability with his ball at his feet as he completed 21 passes and nine long balls.
The latter had a telling impact as he allowed the likes of Nicolas Jackson and Johan Manzambi to cause real problems for the Spurs defence when running towards their own goal.
Now he could be facing an injury, but is recovering with Japan rather than with the Villa staff.
The claret and blue outfit may well be pulling their hair out, they just need to hope they've got this decision right.